Two unique publications on ethnocultural studies of Kazakhstan were presented at Altai State University

As part of the work of the III International Altaic Forum “Unity of Slavic and Turkic peoples in history and modernity,” a presentation of two unique publications dedicated to the ethnocultural studies of Kazakhstan took place at the Institute of Humanities of Altai State University.

The multinational audience of the forum was presented with a Brief Encyclopedia of Signs and Symbols of Kazakh Culture – a scientific work implemented within the framework of a three-year grant from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan “Languages of Kazakh culture as the basis of ethnic identity: semiotics and semantics”; as well as the Atlas “Crafts of modern Kazakhstan”, made within the framework of the grant “Study of traditional crafts of modern Kazakhstan. Status and search for ways to preserve”, supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Scientific director of the grant on crafts of Kazakhstan Zhanerke Shaigozova, culturologist, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, an associate professor of the Kazakh National Pedagogical University named after Abai, member of the Union of Artists of the Republic of Kazakhstan, expert of the National Committee for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage under the National Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan for UNESCO and ISESCO.

The authors of the presented scientific works Zhanerke Shaigozova and Aman Ibragimov, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, a senior lecturer at the Institute of Arts, Culture and Sports of the Abai KazNPU, expert of the IAAR (Independent agency for accredidation and ranking), founder of the site for young artists, are master's students of the Institute of Humanities of Altai State University, studying within the framework of the Network double-diploma educational master's program "History of Art" in the profile "Ethnocultural Studies of the Turkic World: Art Practices and Creative Industries", developed by the Institute of Humanities of Altai State University together with the leading partner university in the field of studying Altaic studies and Turkic studies – the Kazakh National Pedagogical University named after Abay (Republic of Kazakhstan). This network program is being implemented under the auspices of the scientific and educational Center for Altaic and Turkic Studies “The Greater Altai” of Altai State University.

“We brought two unique publications for presentation at the forum in order to introduce them to the multinational community of the Greater Altai and introduce these works into scientific circulation,” explains Zhanerke Shaigozova. “Altai is the ancestral home of the Turks and many things connect our peoples, since all of us, living on the territory of the modern Greater Altai, feel a certain semiotic connection between us, which not only unites us, but also helps us discover new aspects of interaction in the field of science and culture . We continue to look for new ways of contact, and here, at the Altaic forum, which has brought together world famous Turkologists, we want to present our work to them in order to hear a qualified assessment of our work.”

An external expert, reviewer and scientific consultant in the field of art criticism of the presented publications, Drector of the Institute of Humanities of Altai State University, Doctor of Art History, Professor Larisa Nekhvyadovich noted the high quality of scientific works on the languages of Kazakh culture and the crafts of modern Kazakhstan, their careful study and novelty.

“We have a long-standing and fruitful relationship with our colleagues from Kazakhstan, and this is a very effective and mutually beneficial cooperation. We are jointly exploring those areas that seem to be on the surface and are widely known. However, having thoroughly studied such topics as the epic heritage, ethnocultural values and art of the peoples of the Greater Altai countries, we come to the conclusion that in this area it is necessary to carry out serious work to preserve the cultural and historical wealth that unites our peoples and is the connecting link for our good neighborly relations and the formation of future interaction,” emphasized Larisa Nekhvyadovich.